Lately, I’ve found myself getting involved in so many things that just suck up all of my time. They’re not bad by any means and I am not getting overwhelmed because I can still maintain a healthy balance in my life. I can separate work from play and have excellent outcomes in both fields.
We all have realized that every night can’t be a party (unless you’re a busy party planner) but in the same regard, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. These are extreme examples that pretty much everyone should understand. No, most people do not even have the opportunity to party every night and most workplaces allow weekends off.
On a more realistic level, this looks like the decision to overwork a task, or stay too long at a friends place. There needs to be an element of balance in all of this if we burn out making something that’s usually the sign that we need to move on or improve something in ourselves before attacking that challenge again. If we find that what we do on the weekends disturbs elements of our work then we sometimes just cut that thing right out even if it might not be a negative thing in it’s allotted time.
What does balance between work and play look like?
For me, balance is setting a project to the side when I can no longer add value to it without taking adequate time to study the issue that’s stopping me. Another way I find balance in my work is by stopping when the job it is finished, this is not the same as giving up when things get tough. This is knowing when to stop hitting the nail with the hammer so to speak. Once the job is done you can reassess it later should a problem arise.
If I feel the need to do a little extra for one reason or another then I make sure to set aside some time for it, but I also don’t let it eat away at other important things I need for balance. It’s as mentally tricky as walking a balance beam is physically tricky.
I have found that pulling from work to fuel my fun gets me into trouble at work, but pulling from the time I need to relax or connect with people outside of work to work turns me into a bit of a robot. In cases where I sacrifice sleep for work, I find that I just get too stressed to do my job properly or end up disliking what I’m doing.
Some tips to maintain balance:
- Get proper rest every night, whatever schedule you have, make sure you set aside time for at least 8 hours of sleep.
- Separate yourself from your work when you begin to close your day. Step away from screens at least an hour before bed.
- Go hard on the clock. When its time to work, give it all you’ve got. You can still explore elements of work when you leave, but don’t let them get the better of you.
- Try new things in your free time. Go explore restaurants, coffee shops, or other interesting local attractions. This will help distance you from work and hopefully promote a little creativity.